SEQUESTERED Podcast: Mitrice Richardson—Unsolved Death (Malibu, CA), Part Two

Date: September 1, 2025 | Host: Sarah Reed, Road Trip Studios

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode continues the deep dive into the 2009 disappearance and 2010 death of Mitrice Richardson, a 24-year-old woman who vanished after a questionable late-night release from a Malibu sheriff’s station. While Part One traced the days before her disappearance, Part Two moves through the discovery of her remains, the family’s ordeal, mishandling by authorities, and the persistent unanswered questions plaguing the case. The episode foregrounds victim and community voices, highlighting the tireless efforts of loved ones and exposing institutional failures that still haunt the quest for accountability.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The People Behind the Search

• Tessa Moon—Mitrice’s Girlfriend:

  • Tessa’s relentless search and advocacy: traveling regularly from Northern California, speaking at LGBTQ clubs and media events, challenging speculation about Mitrice’s mental health, and pressing authorities for answers.
    • Quote: “Everything we go through, it hits dead ends. You expect the help from the police, but we haven’t gotten that.” – Tessa Moon at a news conference ([02:50])
    • Quote: “Don’t be afraid. We’re coming.” – Tessa to The Advocate ([01:35])

• Family’s Role and Community Mobilization:

  • Michael Richardson (father), Latice Sutton (mother), and advocates like Dr. Rhonda Hampton played central roles in organizing searches, pressuring police, and keeping the story alive.

2. Mitrice’s Final Hours and Release

• Strange Behavior, Missed Interventions:
  • Mitrice’s odd actions at Geoffrey’s restaurant and prior—speaking gibberish, saying she was from Mars.
  • Law enforcement failed to pursue a mental health evaluation, despite warnings from her mother.
    • Quote: “They knew she wasn’t from the area because I told them. I told them she appears to be in a crisis. But they let her out.” – Latice Sutton ([06:36])

3. The Discovery: August 9, 2010

• Park Rangers’ Accidental Find:

  • Rangers searching for marijuana grow sites in Dark Canyon discovered unclothed, partially mummified human remains later confirmed as Mitrice Richardson’s.
    • Quote: “Bones. A skull. Skeletal remains… This could be her.” – Sarah Reed ([08:36])

• Immediate Family Response:

  • Mitrice’s mother and supporters rushed to the site, waiting anxiously as authorities combed the area.
    • Quote: “We do know that there are remains that… were extricated from that area… It’s not coincidental. I don’t think it’s a coincidence.” – Latice Sutton on scene ([10:53])

4. Unsettling Evidence Near the Site

• Sexually Explicit Murals in Nearby Cave:
  • Painted images of Black women, targeting, graphic, and fresh—found along the search route, not treated as evidence by police.
    • Quote: “Approximately 13 African American women with Afros who were nude and in very graphic, sexually provocative positions…” – Dr. Rhonda Hampton ([12:06])
  • Murals’ proximity to the body raised chilling suspicions and community outrage.

5. Case Mishandling and Evidence Compromise

• Irregular Removal of Remains:

  • Sheriff's deputies airlifted Mitrice’s remains before the coroner arrived, violating protocol.
    • Quote: “The sheriffs scooped up my daughter’s remains, put them in a plastic bag, put them on a helicopter, and left…” – Michael Richardson ([20:26])
  • Sheriff’s justification: “Safety concerns” due to terrain and marijuana grow site; family and coroner saw it as evidence destruction.

• Family Misinformed and Kept Away:

  • Authorities initially told the family only a “few bones” were found, later proven untrue when a full skeleton was discovered ([22:38]).
  • When allowed to visit, family members realized the police had shown them the wrong recovery site ([24:34]).
  • Dr. Hampton found Mitrice’s finger bone left unfound by authorities ([25:59]).

• Clothing & Personal Effects Mishandled:

  • Personal belongings (bra, panties, hair) were not on or near the body as found, raising further questions ([20:12]); all were bagged together, potentially destroying evidence.

6. Cause of Death: Left “Undetermined”

• No Clear Signs of Trauma:

  • No bullet wounds, blunt force, or obvious cause; remains exposed for 11 months.
  • Official determination: death “undetermined”—for the family, “torture” with no hope for closure or accountability ([30:10]).

• Official Reviews and Disputes:

  • LA County Office of Independent Review: concluded no misconduct, just “miscommunication” between Sheriff’s and Coroner’s offices ([32:50]).

    • Family and supporters viewed this as a whitewash.

    • Quote: “My initial reaction is I’m very disappointed… We found a bone where Mitrice's earrings were left by some murderer.” – Lauren Sutton, aunt ([33:43])

    • “We need someone to take responsibility… They can’t just say our training wasn’t proper, our procedures weren’t proper… That’s not satisfactory to someone who’s lost a loved one.” ([34:34])

7. Surveillance Video Controversy

• Withheld and Damaged Evidence:

  • Video from station lobby shows Mitrice agitated, struggling to use the phone, not “lucid and coherent” as police first claimed.

  • Deputies initially denied the existence of the video, then said it malfunctioned, later releasing it under pressure ([35:19]).

  • Quote: “This footage wasn’t just evidence. It was a record of a choice. A choice to release a clearly distressed woman into the night without the means to get home.” – Sarah Reed ([36:30])

8. Systemic Failures & Unanswered Questions

• Failure to Observe Duty of Care:

  • Why was Mitrice arrested for a low-level offense and not taken for a mental evaluation?
  • Why released at night, with no possessions, miles from home, in a remote canyon?

• Fractured Statements & Timeline Gaps:

  • Family and public continue to question discrepancies in statements, timeline, and missing video angles.

• Ongoing Activism:

  • Despite heartbreak, the family, Dr. Hampton, journalist Cece Woods, and the community persist, refusing silence.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On community and persistence:
  “Love does this. It organizes, it insists. It keeps showing up.” – Sarah Reed ([04:42])

• On the murals’ implications:
  “The location was isolated. The imagery felt targeted and menacing… the connection became impossible to ignore.” – Sarah Reed ([13:15])

• On frustration with the system:
  “Very strange actions on the day Mitrice’s remains were found… If there was nothing to cover up, then by all means, wait for the coroner to get there.” – Dr. Rhonda Hampton ([27:32])

• On the family’s heartbreak:
  “I see her. I see her in everything that’s beautiful, in every flower, every plant, the sunlight. I see her always.” – Unnamed family member ([29:50])

• Maxine Waters’ statement:
  “Notwithstanding today’s announcement, the family will not have absolute closure until they know all the facts… I remain committed to ensuring the local authorities followed proper procedures and that no federal statutes were violated during the course of this tragic case.” – Maxine Waters ([16:14])

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|--------------------| | 00:10-04:42 | Introduction and Tessa Moon’s advocacy, early family efforts | | 05:44-06:36 | Family describes Mitrice’s mental state & missed intervention | | 07:40-10:05 | Discovery of remains, Dark Canyon, immediate aftermath | | 10:53-12:55 | Family voices on scene, murals discovered nearby | | 14:16-15:55 | Reporting on remains, initial theories, and doubts | | 16:14-17:53 | Statement by Congresswoman Maxine Waters | | 19:53-22:38 | Law enforcement’s handling of the remains, family reaction | | 24:34-26:23 | Family finds more remains after official recovery | | 27:32-28:33 | Mishandling and the importance of proper investigative work | | 29:08-29:50 | Retracing terrain, memorial, and improbability of Mitrice’s journey | | 30:10-32:50 | Autopsy results, “undetermined” cause of death, OIR findings | | 33:43-34:34 | Lauren Sutton (aunt) on disappointment and need for accountability | | 35:19-36:30 | Surveillance video’s impact and family’s view on the case outcome |

Tone & Language

The episode is somber, meticulous, and determinedly empathetic. The host and contributors center Mitrice’s humanity, the pain and resilience of her family, and the community’s ongoing demand for justice. The narrative is fact-driven but always returns to the lived experience of loss, skewering institutional failures and the “accidental” mishandling with clear skepticism.

Concluding Preview

The episode ends with a teaser:
After 15 years, a potential new witness emerges, possibly the last to see Mitrice alive. The story is poised to continue in Part Three, promising revelations about hidden evidence and the people who mishandled the case.

For more: All referenced videos, articles, and the full transcript are available at sequesteredpod.com.